The Chronicle stops the presses- Play offers new twist on classic story
- Students create illustrations for Georgia Ports Authority
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Graduate student channels classic horror in thesis film - Alumnus creates mobile gallery
- SCAD libraries hold artist’s book competition for students
- Griffis discusses development of Arthur legend
- Noted author speaks to students
- The Green Scene: 'We have a dream'
- Personnel File: New staff members join SCAD-Savannah
- SCAD hosts regional IDSA conference
- Titus Kaphar to speak at SCAD
- The Bee Line
- Women’s lacrosse sets records in Kennesaw State win
- Athlete Feats highlights for Feb. 22
- Baseball takes series from St. Thomas
- Women’s basketball wraps up second place in Florida Sun
- Athletics updates for Feb. 15
- Baseball off to best start in program’s history
- Big third period leads lacrosse team to victory
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Class in the Spotlight
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Fledgling teachers take first steps
 Photo by Dane Sponberg High Museum of Art staff member Darby Jones (left) provides graphic design instruction to a student at an Art Smarts Camp at the Lovett School July 9, while Master of Arts in Teaching candidates Kristina Barauskas and Stephanie Justice take notes. By Monique Bos Published: Friday, August 3, 2007 The Savannah College of Art and Design has partnered with the Lovett School in Atlanta to present Art Smarts camps for children ages 7-16 throughout the summer. But campers aren’t the only ones to benefit: The camps provided a perfect opportunity for the four students enrolled in SCAD’s fledgling Master of Arts in Teaching program to observe art education in action. The students and Kristie Bruzenak, chair of the SCAD professional education department — which launched in June — spent July 9-12 in Atlanta, where they visited Art Smarts classes to study and practice teaching techniques. “Students in the M.A.T. program are required to log in 300 hours of observation before they can student teach,” Bruzenak explained. “Each quarter, in addition to taking three graduate classes, the students observe for an average of 12 hours per week. These hours must be done under the supervision of a certified teacher.” They began the quarter by observing classes at the Savannah cultural affairs department’s summer camp. “I wanted to make sure the classroom observations fit with who they are,” Bruzenak said. The M.A.T. candidates also had the opportunity to teach sections of foundation studies professor Stephen Gardiner’s SCAD Summer Seminar courses. They delivered material and critiqued each other’s lessons, Bruzenak said. The students followed that experience with the week in Atlanta, where they stayed in a college residence hall and met with Art Smarts teachers, as well as observing classes. “The visit to Atlanta helped them to see a different educational setting and to observe different methods and a different teaching style,” she said. “Their course work centers on teaching and learning theory, and observations provide concrete examples of theory in practice. After each observation the students analyze the procedures witnessed to help understand the goals, outcomes, lesson structure and strategies used by the teachers.” Although the students visited Art Smarts camps at all age levels, Bruzenak said they focused their observations on the high school students. The week they attended, teacher Darby Jones was presenting lessons on graphic design. They also met with high school teachers attending an Advanced Placement Institute at SCAD-Atlanta. And High Museum of Art educator Jenna Madison provided the M.A.T. students with unique insights. “The students were given a tour of the High Museum’s education facilities as she explained the similarities and differences between classroom education and museum education,” said Bruzenak. The M.A.T. students are rounding out their observations in Beaufort, S.C., where they are visiting elementary-school classes. Bruzenak said the school is piloting a program in which boys and girls are placed in separate classrooms beginning in fifth grade and continuing until they graduate from high school. The students will be tracked to determine whether this gender segregation improves their academic performance. Providing students with a range of teaching strategies and classroom experiences, while building on their existing specialties as individual artists, is what differentiates the SCAD M.A.T. program from Master of Education programs with an art emphasis, said Bruzenak, who is an alumna of one such M.Ed. department. (See story on page 5.) “This program is for people who have a degree in visual arts or performing arts already and want to get their teaching credentials,” she explained. “In teaching, there is always room for change and growth,” she said. “Is there such a thing as a perfect lesson? You have to prepare yourself for the fact that there isn’t one ‘right way’ to teach, so you can focus on the children’s needs.”  |
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